Around 5400 tons of human, 3500 tons of solid and a
similar volume of industrial and other waste are released in the air, surface
and ground water table in and around Dhaka city everyday.

To check the ongoing waste onslaught, participants
at a daylong workshop called for a sound waste management policy without further
delay.

Organised by The Daily Star in collaboration with
Bangladesh Scouts, the workshop titled Waste Management in the city: Towards A
Solution? also emphasised strict implementation of the existing laws, enactment
of new ones, public awareness, community and private sector participation and
decentralisation of relevant agencies to improve the waste management situation
in the city.

Held at the Scout Bhaban, the workshop was
moderated by The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam and Professor Nizamuddin Ahmed of
BUET. Environmentalists, engineers, microbiologists, scout leaders, students,
officials from Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) and Dhaka WASA, and representatives
of different professional groups attended it.

About 400 tons of solid waste generated everyday
remains on the road and in open space while 300 tons are recycled by the 'rag
pickers', participants said.

Professor Mujibur Rahman of BUET presented the
keynote paper of the workshop while WASA Board Chairman Prof. Nazrul Islam,
architect Shaheda Rahman of BUET, Prof Jasimuzzaman, and Natasha Ishrat, a
school student from Viqarunnissa Noon School and College, put up recommendations
of the participants, divided into four groups, at the concluding session.

Referring to DCC statistics, Dr. Mujibur Rahman
said nearly 49 per cent of the city's solid waste is generated from residential
areas, 21 and 24 per cent from commercial and industrial areas, and the rest
from hospitals and clinics.

The ratio of lead, chromium and Biochemical Oxygen
Demand (BOD) was found higher than the standard level in ground and surface
water samples collected from adjoining areas of the dumpsites, he said.

Mahfuz Anam said disposal of waste in the city has
emerged as a serious problem, and Bangladesh Scouts and The Daily Star will
jointly launch a campaign on the issue.

He urged media including the radio and television
to highlight the issue.

Dr Sirazul Islam of Microbiology Department of
Dhaka University pointed out that with the use of recycling technology, waste is
no longer a problem. He emphasised use of proper technologies and methods that
can make the best utilisation of 'waste resource'.

Shaheda Rahman, making recommendations on behalf of
her team on solid and hospital waste management, said that dumping sites should
be relocated and there should be separate treatment plant, guidelines and laws
for disposal of clinical waste. She also demanded a solid waste management
master plan for DCC.

The workshop observed that potentially hazardous
hospital wastes are being dumped onto municipal bins and are collected by DCC
along with domestic household wastes.

Nurul Haq, superintendent engineer of Dhaka WASA,
said, "We do not need new laws. All we need now is proper implementation of
the existing laws." Haq added that the Department of Environment (DoE) has
sufficient enforcing capacity.

The participants pointed out that human waste has
become a major contributor to environmental pollution owing to fast-growing
population, inadequate sanitation facilities and absence of waste treatment
system.

The sewerage of Dhaka WASA covers only 20 per cent
population of its service area, and 25 per cent people of its service area
dispose of human waste through unsanitary means. Nearly 40 per cent people use
individual septic tanks while the rest 15 per cent depend on pit latrines, they
informed the workshop.

Professor Nazrul Islam, while putting up
recommendations on behalf of his group on human waste management, stressed the
need for installing more public and mobile toilets in the city. At present, DCC
has only 30 public toilets for the city.

Besides, treatment plants should be installed in
zones or areas and autonomous bodies should be charged with the units, the
participants observed.

Environmental sanitation specialist Anisur Rahman
said Dhaka WASA is the biggest pollutant of rivers around the city as a huge
quantity of sewage, that are either untreated or not properly treated, is going
into the rivers.

On behalf of his group that focused on industrial
waste management, Dr Jasimuzzaman suggested that common effluent treatment plant
be set up for clusters of industries as the small industries like tanneries in
the city's Hazaribagh area can not afford separate treatment plant.

He also stressed the need for strengthening the
monitoring and enforcing capacity of the DoE.

Natasha Ishrat put up the recommendations of her
group on scout involvement in waste management. The participants put emphasis on
involvement of scouts, school students and representatives of citizens' groups
to create awareness among the people about waste management.